1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a dispenser for pre-moistened wipes and, more particularly, to a dispensing device adapted to be mounted to an existing toilet paper roll holder for storing and selectively dispensing pre-moistened wipes from a roll.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Virtually all bathrooms are fitted with a roll fixture which is specifically structured to rotatably support a roll of toilet paper thereon. The conventional roll of toilet paper is provided with a tubular core which is adapted to receive a spring loaded dowel axially therethrough so that opposite ends of the dowel are urged within opposing recesses of the toilet paper roll holder fixture. The fixture, with the roll of conventional toilet paper rotatably supported thereon, facilitates dispensing of select lengths of sheet paper from the roll, for hygienic purposes, particularly when using a commode.
Presently, there are numerous brands of pre-moistened towelettes or wipes which can be purchased in either a box dispenser or as individually wrapped units. For the most part, pre-moistened towelettes and wipes have been used for cleaning the hands, particularly after eating a meal at a restaurant or picnic, and as a means for cleaning a baby when changing a diaper. And, while use of pre-moistened towelettes or wipes is desirous for use in a bathroom, and particularly next to a commode, presently available pre-moistened wipes lack the convenience of a mounted roll dispenser. In particular, the packaging methods and containers for pre-moistened towelettes and wipes are not adapted for dispensing from a roll in a manner similar to a conventional toilet paper roll holder fixture of the type commonly found next to a commode in a bathroom. Instead, pre-moistened wipes presently on the market are packaged in a stacked array, usually within a rectangular shaped plastic bag or box which is not suited for convenient dispensing in a bathroom.
Others have proposed various dispenser devices for dispensing pre-moistened toilet paper from a wall mounted housing. Specifically, the U.S. patent to Ogden, U.S. Pat. No. 5,697,577 discloses a pre-moistened toilet paper dispenser having a housing with a chamber sized to receive a pre-moistened toilet paper roll on a cylindrical rod within the housing. The housing includes a side opening with a door which is slidably mounted to the housing to selectively cover the opening. By opening the door, the toilet paper positioned within the housing can be dispensed for use. The Ogden dispenser further includes a hollow compartment fixed to a bottom portion of the housing for containing electronics used for warming the moistened toilet paper. Other examples of pre-moistened toilet paper dispensers proposed in the art can be found in the U.S. patents to Rao, U.S. Pat. No. 5,439,521; Newbold, U.S. Pat. No. 5,660,313; Marino, U.S. Pat. No. 5,897,074; Brozinsky, U.S. Pat. No. 6,056,235; Douglas, U.S. Pat. No. 3,995,582; and Bloch, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,509,593.
While the various dispensers proposed in the related art all contemplate dispensing of pre-moistened toilet paper from a roll supported within an enclosed housing which may be mounted to a holder on a wall, they fail to fully address the needs of conveniently and effectively containing and selectively dispensing pre-moistened tissue in a bathroom setting. Specifically, the various devices proposed in the art fail to provide for easy and efficient removal of the housing from the holder in order to place a new roll of pre-moistened tissue in the housing when an existing roll has been depleted. The housings of the various devices proposed in the art, as described above, are all difficult to remove from the holder. Further, the proposed devices fail to provide means for maintaining an air tight seal enclosing the interior of the housing to thereby prevent premature drying of the moistened toilet tissue contained therein. Also, the proposed devices fail to provide adequate means to prevent rotation of the housing relative to the holder when removing tissue from the roll. Moreover, the various dispensing devices proposed in the related art fail to provide easily separable sheets of moistened toilet tissue mounted on a roll and folded in a manner which permits enlargement of individual detachable sheets once separated from the roll.
In view of the shortcomings in the related art, there remains an urgent need for a convenient and effective device for containing and dispensing pre-moistened wipes from a roll, wherein the device is specifically adapted for mounting to an existing toilet paper roll holder fixture in a bathroom.
The present invention is directed to a device for holding and dispensing moistened paper or tissue sheets from a roll. In particular, the moistened sheets may be for use by adults or children (infants and toddlers) for hygienic purposes. Moreover, the sheets may be of a type for use on hand wipes (wet towelettes) or napkins. The device includes a housing having a cylindrical wall and opposite end walls. At least one of the opposite end walls is removably attachable to an open end of the housing. The cylindrical wall, extending between the opposite end walls, includes an access opening with a hinged door which moves between an open position to facilitate removal of the moistened wipes from the roll, and a closed position. Seal means are provided to protectively encapsulate the roll within the housing in order to prevent drying of the wipes when the door is closed. A tubular dowel, integral with an inside face of one of the end walls, extends axially through an interior of the housing for rotatably supporting the roll of wipes thereon. Pegs extend outwardly from the opposite end walls are structured to fit within congruently configured recesses of a holder mounted to a wall or other structure in a bathroom, and preferably next to the commode. An ejection control is provided for urging one of the pegs inwardly against a spring maintained within the tubular dowel, to thereby release the peg from the insert so that the housing can be removed from the holder to replace empty tissue rolls. In a further embodiment, the holder is structured to accommodate both a roll of dry tissue and a roll of moistened tissue.